Thank you to all who came out to my Private View last night. What a joy to see familiar faces and meet new ones while sharing stories of lost and found artworks. The after party at the Groucho with old friends never disappoints!… A big thank you to Rhodes Contemporary gallery for hosting my latest show in their newly refurbed gallery space on New Compton St, Soho, London. Now open until June 1st.

We are delighted and proud to present our forthcoming exhibition PINCHED: a solo show of new works by contemporary conceptual artist Nick Smith.This new exhibition containing over 20 new original works as well as new limited editions, examines famous artworks stolen throughout history, presenting the reconstructed images along with their idiosyncratic stories.The show will open with the private view on May, 2nd. The exhibition will run thereafter until 1st June.

If you would like to attend the Private view and drinks reception on the evening of Thursday 2nd May between 6 - 8pm please RSVP to info@rhodescontemporaryart.com

About PINCHED:Smith often uses satire threads in economics, society and pop culture to curate his exhibitions, as previously seen in Priceless, in which he looked at the precariousness of the art market. PINCHED is a continuum of this body of work - his research on art markets leading him to the more abstract area of art theft. Smith is interested in what happens to ideas of value once an artwork has been stolen, as it is almost impossible for this to translate into monetary value.

The theft of the Mona Lisa in the early 1900s from the Louvre is commonly regarded as the first great art heist of the 20th century. This incident saw the dramatic elevation of the artwork in the popular consciousness, creating the phenomena that surrounds it today. Since then there has been a wealth of stories behind such heists as galleries and private collections. PINCHED examines these often surprising, always colourful heists and explores the absence of these works within art history and cultural identity.

The exhibition consists of 20 new works by the artist, with re-workings of infamous, instantly recognisable stolen artworks to some lesser known works by the heavy hitters of art history; including Vermeer’s The Concert (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) and Munch’s The Scream (Munch Museum).Extensive research went into the series, drawing on information collected from media archives, crime reports, CCTV, police statements and the most wanted list of the twentieth century’s biggest art heists.

Using his trademark colour chips, the artist has created specter-like chromatic blurs of images that have remained potent forces despite no longer being available for public consumption. In addition to his unique visual language of colour swatches, Smith presents a confident and playful collection of mixed medium artworks and screen prints highlighting the absurdity and intrigue left in the wake of these heists. The exhibition looks at the void left by these stolen works and how this manifests within public consciousness and cultural history, the material existence of these artworks was only one, and not strictly the crucial, element of meaning.

Based on Jacques Louis-David’s iconic 1801 painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps, Smith honours Nelly Duff Gallery’s own journey to Paris Urban Art Fair, presenting his own unique interpretation of one of France’s most notorious leaders combined with text from one of Britain’s best-known figures, Lord Byron.

And Earth hath spilt her blood for him,

Who thus can hoard his own!

And Monarchs bow’d the trembling limb,

And thank’d him for a throne!

Fair Freedom! we may hold thee dear,

When thus thy mightiest foes their fear

In humblest guise have shown.

Oh, ne’er may tyrant leave behind

A brighter name to lure mankind!

Lord Byron, ‘Ode To Napoleon Buonaparte’, 1814

For this 2019 edition, created exclusively for Nelly Duff’s exhibit with Urban Art Fair, the words of Bryon’s infamous ‘Ode to Napoleon’ adorn each carefully selected pantone chip to replicate David’s original painting. Each figure respectively commands a mixed reaction to their reputations, both men of great passion and undeniable leaders in their fields, both have been condemned for their gaping flaws; being fabulously egotistical, greedy and vain. David, a revolutionary and admirer of Napoleon created his 1801 artwork to flatter the ever-growing ego of Napoleon, and to convey him as a true and powerful leader. Conversely, Byron’s lengthy and condemning verse written upon Napoleon’s exile tears down his carefully constructed persona.

In a time where political figures rely on well-chosen photo opportunities and overly-curated social media profiles to convey their propriety, Smith’s immense edition contextualises one of the world’s most recognisable personalities within his own contemporary and incredibly slick style. In dissolving the sharp features and details of David’s original painting, while retaining the red, white and blue of the revolutionary Tricolore, Smith visualises the hypocrisies of not only Napoleon, but also contemporary political leaders that hide behind bravado and vanity in the public eye.

‘Napoleon 2019’ will be available to purchase in person only at our stand at Urban Art Fair 2019, and will release online and in store to the general public from 6pm GMT Sunday April 14th.

Nick was recently invited by poet Kathryn Carter to collaborate his artwork with her Haiku prose. You can see the product of the collaboration in the 3 works below which have been published in the Haiku Times.

You can read more of Kathryn’s beautiful prose in The Haiku times here

Nick presents his latest print edition inspired by international Air Max day. Measuring 46 x 70cm, this limited edition giclee is printed on Somerset Satin 300gsm paper with a screen printed varnish over the colour blocks. Each print is signed, numbered and embossed.

This print is available for purchase online exclusively via Rhodes Contemporary Gallery on Tuesday 26th March at 16:00 GMT using this Link

Close up reading of this print celebrates the creators, influencers & milestones of this iconic shoe, over the 29 years of its colourful, air cushioned history.

Please note: There are no presales for this print launch. This is an online sale on a first come first serve basis only. Many thanks!

On the evening of Thursday 6th December, Nick previewed his latest show titled ‘Psalms’ at Nelly Duff Gallery on London’s famous Columbia Road. 10 new prints each in an edition of 40 were presented. The work was well received with many of the print editions selling out on the night. Nick would like to thank all who came out on the evening and the Nelly Duff team for putting on such a tasty show. If you would like to snag one of the 3 remaining print editions… click the link

We are excited to announce that Nick’s next exhibition opens on the 29th November at Nelly Duff Gallery in East London. Titled Psalms, this is a print show featuring 10 new prints, each an edition of 40. For all sales enquiries please contact hello@nellyduff.com or call +44 (0)20 7033 9683.

If you would like to attend the Private View on Thursday 29th November between 6:00 - 8:30pm please click this link to register your interest.

You can read more about the concept behind the show if you head over to the Nelly Duff website here

Hailing from Scotland himself, Nick was asked by the community in Iona to donate a piece of postcard sized art to help fund the campaign to build a new village hall on the island.

400 postcard sized artworks are available to bid on, in a blind auction which runs until 21st November. You can find Nick’s contribution in Gallery 3 in the £400 - £1000 bracket

The winning bidders will be notified thereafter with instructions to make payment directly to Iona Village hall community trust. Artworks will be despatched once payment has cleared. Postage to a UK address is free, international shipping may incur a small surcharge, usually less than £10 but please enquire for a quote.

"To celebrate our commitment to natural colour, we partnered with Scottish artist Nick Smith to create some of our favourite malts in his distinctive style; using colour swatches to explore the palette of his subject. This beautiful artwork features a true Macallan classic, The Macallan Rare Cask."

"Opening a bottle of Macallan always arouses my senses. The weight of the bottle and the subtle colour of its contents. That joyful glugging sound as I pour a dram, revealing hidden aromas. Finally the moment when it hits my tongue and it all comes together - a heart-warming symphony is created." - Artist (and whisky fan) Nick Smith on The Macallan

Nick presents his latest print edition inspired by the movie classic, Jaws. The print measures 60 x 72cm and is a limited edition of 50. Printed on Somerset Satin 300gsm paper with a screen printed varnish over the colour blocks, each print is signed, numbered and embossed and sold with a certificate of Authenticity.

The text in this print is taken from the chilling scene in the Orca's cabin, where shark hunter Quint, describes the horror of being stranded in the ocean with hundreds of his fellow servicemen, while slowly being picked off by sharks one by one. You can view the scene here.

This coming April, Smith returns for his fourth show at Lawrence Alkin Gallery, with a new body of work titled Priceless.

Smith builds upon last year’s world record breaking $450,000,000 sale of Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi at Christie’s, as the catalyst to explore the world of high-end art auction results and the wider topic of the commercial value of art.

With 30 new original artworks and two limited print editions, Smith poses the question… ‘Just how much will we pay for something priceless?’

Please register your interest by hitting subscribe to ensure you're the first to receive the sales catalogue.

Private view invitations, along with further information, will be released closer to the time.

Smith will be contributing towards FaceValue2. A show which will ‘confront identity changed by the potentially devastating effects of others’. The concept behind FaceValue2 is to use over 25 collaborative artworks to show the effect on one’s identity an outside influence can have, ranging from minimal to near devastating.

25+ artists have donated an artwork knowing it will be handed to an unspecified artist to use as a reference point to take it on a new journey with varying destinations. The result being a collaboration between two artists, producing one coherent work which has had its identity altered by another.

The show is located at Jealous Gallery, EC2, London between 9th - 17th March. 100% of the proceeds of the FaceValue2 exhibition are going directly to The Katie Piper Foundation, charity that specialise in helping in the recovery of those of our society have had their own, physical identity altered.

Smith was paired with the Chapman Brothers. The original work is titled... The lisper lisps, the stutterer stutters, the dyslexic disleksiks it. A lithographic print editioned 49/50 measuring 100x68cm with a face value of £1,800

Having used McDonald's as a theme for many years, Jake & Dinos' print was run over by several patrons at a McDonald's Drive Thru.

Adorned with new McTire marks, Smith tore the piece in two, then printed the cause of the altered identity in his signature style on the reverse, then stuck it back together.

On the evening of Wednesday 15th November 2017, Christies New York auction house opened bids for the last remaining Leonardo Da Vinci painting available in private hands, Salvator Mundi. After 20 minutes of bidding it achieved an eye watering auction price of $400,000,000. When combined with auction fees the buyer had to stump up another $50,312,500 bringing the total sale price to a world record breaking $450,312,500.

In an attempt to quantify this immense sum of money Smith reinterprets Da Vinci's painting at the exact same dimensions in his signature style, resulting in 509 individual colour chips each having a proportional value of $889,945 and 65 cents.

A few months ago, Nick was invited to collaborate on a project with world renowned makers of fine Scotch single malt whisky, Macallan. Today marks the first day of this project being shared online. Over the coming fortnight, Macallan and Smith will share with you the importance of subtle colour variations, which create the visual identity of a finely crafted single malt.

Macallan wanted to pair with an artist who has a deep understanding of colour and the ability to coordinate this language into beautiful handmade artworks; The choice to work with Smith was an obvious one.

You can follow The Macallan Whisky on instagram to view the project here

Vermeer’s ‘The Concert’ is widely considered the most valuable painting ever stolen. It remains unrecovered 29 years after the theft.
The piece depicts a music lesson with two paintings hung on the back wall. I screen printed the Vermeer displaying empty frames as a nod to The Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston’s choice to display an empty frame where it once sat.
17 colour screen print on 400gsm Somerset paper
40cm x 46cm
Limited edition of 50
Signed & embossed
£450 plus shipping... Purchase link in my bio 🚨
Now available via Rhodes Contemporary gallery in conjunction with my current exhibition ‘PINCHED’ which runs till June 1st @rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmithart #nicksmith #rhodescontemporaryart #vermeer #theconcert #isabellagardnermuseum

Story of how Goya’s Duke of Wellington was stolen
On the 21st August 1961, curiously 50 years to the day after the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. A retired truck driver named Kempton Bunton snuck in through a window in the Gents WC of the National Gallery, London, which he had deliberately unlatched the previous day.
He removed the painting from the gallery wall and then sent a series of notes written in capitals, to various newspapers.
Purchased for £140,000; Bunton’s first note outlined his intent: "The act is an attempt to pick the pockets of those who love art more than charity . . . the picture is not, and will not be for sale – it is for ransom – £140,000 – to be given to charity." He later claimed that: "My sole object in all this was to set up a charity to buy television licences for old and poor people who seem to be neglected in an affluent society." Four more notes were sent and received no response from the National Gallery. His fifth and final note stated: ”Goya's Wellington is safe. I have looked upon this affair as an adventurous prank – must the authoritys [sic] refuse to see it this way. I know now that I am in the wrong, but I have gone too far to retreat." Almost four years later, Bunton weary of his charitable endeavour deposited in the left-luggage office of New Street station in Birmingham. He handed himself in shortly after and was acquitted of all but 1 of 5 criminal charges… He didn’t return the Wellingtons frame serving 3 months for his crime.
Now on display @rhodescontemporaryart 754 colour chip collage on Fabriano 5 paper measuring 37 x 50cm #nicksmithart #rhodescontemporaryart #goya #collageonpaper #nicksmith

Story of the theft of Munch’s Madonna
Two masked robbers yanked the art violently from the walls of the Munch Museum on Aug. 22, 2004, as about 80 visitors cowered nearby or milled about, oblivious, in side galleries. The robbers — one of whom threatened museum employees with a .357-Magnum handgun carried the heavily framed paintings to a black Audi station wagon, driven by an accomplice, and then disappeared.
It took Oslo police two years and nine days to recover the artwork. They had also offered a reward of about $325,000 for assistance leading to the paintings’ recovery, but it’s unclear how exactly the masterpiece was recovered.
474 colour chip collage on Somerset Satin print measuring 100cm x 100cm now on display @rhodescontemporaryart #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmithart #munchmadonna

I find it fascinating the way a frame can affect an artwork... So I framed this black and white Kate Moss in a mirror frame. Sold via @rhodescontemporaryart #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmithart #nicksmith #katemoss

Story of the theft of Rembrandt self portrait (microchip). On December 22, 2000 a man with a machine gun and two accomplices already inside, brazenly walked into the Swedish National Museum, subdued the guards and took three paintings off the walls. Rembrandt’s Self Portrait was among them.
Across town, two cars exploded outside two nearby hotels, diverting emergency responses. Once the alarm was sounded emergency vehicles found their tyres slashed by scattered nails outside the crime scene, providing ample time for the thieves to stash the artwork under their arms and spirit them away in a speedboat.
Within a month all believed involved were caught and ten arrests were made. The paintings remained at large. In 2001 the first was recovered. Rembrandt’s self-portrait was discovered in 2005 in a hotel in Copenhagen. It was reportedly found during an attempted sale when the police intervened. The third was reported to have resurfaced prior to the Rembrandt.
This is the smallest piece in the show and also one of my favourites, scaled to match the original Rembrandt consisting of 696 colour chips collaged onto Fabriano paper.
Now on display @rhodescontemporaryart #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmithart #nicksmith #rembrandt #collageonpaper

Story of the theft of Portrait of a Woman by Klimt
In 1996, while flipping through The Complete works of Gustav Klimt, a sharp-eyed 18yr old (Claudia Maga ) noticed a strong resemblance between The Lady & another Klimt, Portrait of a Young Lady, that had not been seen since 1912.
She photocopied & enlarged two photographs from the book, drew the profile of the Young Lady on tracing paper & placed it on top of The Lady.
"That was it," she says. "The Lady was concealing another portrait…the only double portrait Klimt ever painted." Maga got the gallery's former director, Ferdinando Arisi, interested in her theory. He removed the portrait from its frame and headed to the hospital. A series of X-rays revealed the earlier work beneath the surface.
The story behind the piece was the next surprise. Klimt fell in love with a girl from Vienna. When his muse suddenly died, he painted over her.
An exhibition was arranged to show off the painting. Coincidentally, the gallery went under renovation. Paintings were packed into storage. Workers came & went. The Klimt went missing. Gallery staff assumed it was removed in preparation for the exhibition. The case went cold.
In 1997, a journalist arranged a meeting between the investigator, Col Luca Pietranera, & an art thief he befriended in one of Piacenza's many bars. The thief told the colonel that the original investigators asked him for advice, as they searched for the thief. He confessed that he stole it & left the gilded frame on the roof as a coup de theatre. But what he had stolen that day was a copy.
What had happened to the real painting?
After the discovery of the double Klimt, he had walked into the gallery and replaced the original with a copy. "Nobody blinked. It was an easy & carefully planned inside job." Why was it necessary to steal the copy?
The exhibition would doubtless have brought Klimt experts from far & wide. One would surely have spotted it was a fake - this may have been disastrous for the gallery insider who had assisted with the theft.
Now on display @rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmithart #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmith

There’s not much more of a grim story than a stolen child: this painting of Madonna & the Yarnwinder by DaVinci was recently subject to a £4.25m extortion plot... now recovered. Robbed from Drumlanig Castle on Aug 27, 2003 by a pair of axe wielding men posing as tourists, who escaped in a white VW Golf. Edition of 3 measuring 56 x 79cm now on display @rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmithart #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmith

🚨Interesting story... Not many people are aware that the Mona Lisa was stolen over a century ago from the walls of the Louvre, in a blunderous theft involving a broken door knob that most certainly made it the famous Masterpiece it is today.
After taking the artwork from the wall, an Italian handyman named Vincenzo Perugia hid in a closet in the Louvre overnight waiting for the museum to reopen in the morning to make his getaway. When the door handle of the closet broke off in his hand he was left trapped inside. It was only when he was heard knocking on the door from the inside, that a plumber employed by the Louvre opened the door from the outside, aiding in his escape. Perugia then handed the plumber the broken door knob and made his way out of the museum with the painting hidden under his smock.
It took over two years for the Mona Lisa to be recovered. Perugia was apprehended attempting to sell the painting to the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, Italy, which he believed to be it’s rightful home. Perugia was sentenced to one year in prison and upon his release was hailed a national hero by the Italian public, for attempting to repatriate the Italian masterpiece to its country of origin.
Louvre Wall with Door Knob (Mona Lisa)
Nick Smith 2019
Edition of 7 + 1 a/p
Paper size 27.5cm x 35cm
Vintage brass door knob framed on Fabriano 5 paper
Pinched: August 21, 1911
Recovered: Yes
Now on display @rhodescontemporaryart until 1st June #nicksmithart #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmith

‘Theft of a Banksy - CCTV’ now on show @rhodescontemporaryart 551 microchip collage on paper for my current show titled ‘PINCHED’ #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmithart #banksytheft

I’m delighted to be opening my next exhibition titled ‘PINCHED’ @rhodescontemporaryart next week. You can find a link in my bio for more details on the show along with the catalogue of works. If you’d like to join us at the Private view and drinks reception this Thursday 2nd May between 6-8:30 we’d love to see you there. Please RSVP to info@rhodescontemporaryart.com #pinched #nicksmithart #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmith

My wife said I probably shouldn’t be wearing Reeboks in this shot #AM90 #nicksmithart #nicksmith

I've been eager for years to make an artwork referencing Jacques-Louis David painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps. My Dad had a ceramic sculpture of the painting in our family home and I always remember it so it's colours & form is seared into my mind from a young age. So here it is. Launching at The Paris Urban Art Fair next week via @nellyduff Edition of 50 £395 84 x 100cm #nellyduff #nicksmith #nicksmithart

I was recently invited by poet Kathryn Carter to collaborate my artwork with her Haiku prose. You can see the product of the collaboration in these 3 works titled Cellophane Veil, Venom & Seized... which have been published in the Haiku Times. Love your work @bykathryncarter #haiku #kathryncarter #nicksmith #nicksmithart

New Nick Smith print
AM90 - Limited edition of 90
Presenting my latest print edition honouring @nike Air Max day. Measuring 46 x 70cm, this limited edition giclee is printed on Somerset Satin 300gsm paper with a screen printed varnish over the colour blocks. Each print is signed, numbered and embossed. Close up reading of this print celebrates the creators, influencers & milestones of this iconic shoe, over the 29 years of its colourful, air cushioned history.
Available for purchase online exclusively via Rhodes Contemporary Gallery on Tuesday 26th March at 16:00 GMT using the link in my bio. £225 plus shipping @rhodescontemporaryart #nikeairmaxday #rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmith #nicksmithart

This piece took time to make. Preparing (slowly) for my next show @rhodescontemporaryart #nicksmith #nicksmithart #rhodescontemporaryart #pinched

Pleased to announce that I’m exhibiting along with every other colour in the rainbow with @samuelowen at this years Scope Art fair, Miami Beach at Booth B09 @scopeartshow
See you there! 🌈🌈🌈 #samuelowengallery #scopeartshow #scooemiami #nicksmith #samuelowen #nicksmithart